Chapter 5July 15, 1972

Dangerous, but wonderful – how to express it? First, the [body’s] subconscient is in the process of changing, and that is long, arduous and painful... but marvelous as well. The feeling of... (gesture as if standing on a ridge).

More and more, the body’s sensation is that faith alone can save – knowledge is not yet possible, so only faith can save.

But “faith can save” still sounds like an old manner of speaking.... How to phrase it?... The feeling that the relation between what we call “life” and what we call “death” is becoming more and more different – yes, different (Mother nods her head), completely different.

Not that death disappears, mind you (death as we see it, as we know it and in relation to life as we know it): that’s not it, not it at all. BOTH are changing... into something we don’t yet know, which seems at once extremely dangerous and absolutely marvelous. Dangerous: the least mistake has catastrophic consequences. And marvelous.

It is the consciousness, the true consciousness of immortality – not “immortality” as we understand it, something else. Something else.

Our natural tendency is to want certain things to be true (those we deem favorable) and other things to disappear – but that’s not it! It isn’t like that. EVERYTHING is different.

Different.

From time to time, for a moment (a brief moment): a marvel. But the very next minute: the feeling of... a dangerous unknown. There you are. That’s how I spend my time.

(silence)

The subconscient is full of, oh, full of fears, of anxieties, of....

That place is disgusting (gesture rising from below).

(silence)

The body doesn’t even have faith in its own faith! That’s right: it feels its faith isn’t the real thing, it doesn’t have faith in its own faith.

Life... life used to be simpler with that faith that predominated over all else, but now... (gesture of a complete collapse).

(Mother plunges in)

No, nothing in particular, except that it’s difficult.

No questions?

It’s difficult.

(silence)

I had some things for you (Mother feels the objects on the table near her), it was in an envelope.

“One must not confuse a religious teaching and a spiritual teaching. Religious teaching

belongs to the past and stops all progress, spiritual teaching is the teaching of the future. It enlightens the consciousness and prepares it for the future realization.

A spiritual teaching is above religions and strives towards a total truth. It teaches us to

come into direct contact with the Divine.”

It’s for a lady who came from I don’t know where and wanted to teach in a parochial school. So I replied with that.

There’s also the message you gave All India Radio for August 15:

“The message from Sri Aurobindo is a sunshine radiating over the future.”83

And for the darshan here [of August 15], do you have a message?

(after a silence)

I could say:

“Sri Aurobindo’s message radiates over the future like an immortal sun.”84

(silence)

You have nothing?

Last time, you spoke of the difference between life and death. In other words, life is no longer the way it was, but death neither...

Yes.

(with a gesture 83Original English.